It’s January.

Returning from the absent minded freedom of being home for the holidays may bring on a case of the back to school blues. A sense of nostalgia has already come on and the thought of all the hard work that lies ahead is starting to make your head spin.

Although this year we have good weather on our side, a heavy class load, the stresses of getting A’s, and pressure of graduating on time can get you down in the early months of the year. Instead of dwelling on this, learn
to love every season of your life.

I’m finding more and more satisfaction in being mindful of my surroundings and how doing that shapes my mindset to focus on the positives.

What helps me stay balanced throughout the semester are simply the little pleasures in
life. Stopping to admire the character of a tree. Taking advantage of this beautiful January weather. Grabbing coffee downtown with a friend, or simply to people watch.

It’s 2014, you have everything ahead of yourself, but do not think of that as daunting. Think of it as a new beginning, a fresh start where you can hit the ground running.

I’m working to surround myself with people who think of the start of school and consider it a time of excitement. New professors and new classmates offer a time to reinvent yourself.

I love that every class starts to develop its own personality through the way students and professors interact. I form a different bond in each of my classes, making the first few weeks a stimulating experience.

Maintaining this optimistic perspective keeps the intimidating pressure of school at bay.

Then, for seniors, there is a whole other cause for January blues – graduation.

Once you fall in love with Chico there’s always the lingering feeling of ambivalence toward graduation.

As freshmen, we have the whole journey through college ahead of us. But as the seasons change and semesters go by, slowly bringing you closer to graduation, the thought of leaving becomes real, real fast.

The deal with my parents who work so hard to send me to Chico State is that I graduate in four years or less. But is four years
enough?

Making a Chico bucket list can ensure you make the most out of them. Chico related activities like: hiking in the Ishi Wilderness, swimming in every spot at Upper Bidwell Park, visiting the Chico Community Observatory, drinking tea at every quirky coffee house, taking a tour of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., seeing more performances at Laxson Auditorium, doing yoga at our state of the art gym, and one thing I’m truly set on – finding and identify every different kind of tree in Chico.

Planning simple outings such as these gives me something to look forward to on the days I need to alleviate the stresses from the first few weeks of school.

Chico is a unique chapter in all our lives. Have it be a story that you want to tell.

You may be homesick, unhappy with living arrangements, or feeling alone but the only person who can change that
is you. What doesn’t work the first time can always be fixed the second time around.

Being at university means learning to learn. If you didn’t do well before, the new year brings an opportunity to turn it around.

Returning to school after a long break may make you feel gloomy at first, but the new year truly does mark a time for new beginnings. Use that to your advantage and turn those January blues into some funky beat you just liked on Pandora.

Bring it on 2014.

Julianna Eveland can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.